Chapter 81: The Alien Invasion
A while later, in a certain coffee shop.
Someone ran into Kaji Takaomi by chance.
He asked curiously about what happened that night on the Espoir, including the Kakerou gamble between Akagi Shigeru and Sadakuni.
"Hm? You're asking what kind of gambler Mr. Akagi, known as [The Man of the Divine Realm], really is?"
Kaji tried to describe it.
"His gambling... it's not just about being strong or weak."
"How should I put it? He's the kind of person who draws people in. He has so many admirers."
"Simply put—extremely brilliant, naturally gifted, with a unique style that no one can imitate!"
...
"The outcome is decided."
Yako Hikoichi bowed slightly, announcing the result. "It is Master Akagi's victory."
"...Heh."
Akagi Shigeru remained seated, resting his hands on his thighs. His gaze moved from Sadakuni to the surveillance cameras around the reception hall.
"I see. Your method of cheating was 'artificial vision,' wasn't it?"
"You yourself are completely blind. So you abandoned your eyes, using electrical currents to stimulate your optic nerves, seeing through cameras instead."
"If I'm not mistaken, that man Mekama 'connected' all the cameras in this room to your brain, allowing you to see my cards through them."
Akagi looked at Sadakuni—or more accurately, at his neck, where a portable artificial vision processor was attached, acting as Sadakuni's "eyes."
"Not bad. A strategy that required racking your brains..."
Akagi smiled faintly. "Sadakuni, thank you. I enjoyed myself tonight."
"..."
Sadakuni remained silent.
Beside him, Itou Kaiji, having witnessed the entire gamble, was shocked by Akagi's skill but also relieved.
"Great!"
Kaiji clenched his fist, overjoyed. "With this, according to the reward Madarame promised me, he can pay off my debts!"
But then, Kaiji heard Yako continue speaking about the result.
"The loser shall have a rope around their neck, performing a dance of death—"
"According to the prior agreement, Master Sadakuni—you will lose ten billion yen, and your life."
"You will be hanged."
"..."
Kaiji froze.
Wait, hanged? Ten billion yen is crazy enough, but why a life too? Are the upper-deck gambles this dangerous?!
...zawazawazawa...
Kaiji felt his heart pounding.
Loser dies?
Then... by helping Akagi get the cards and win, didn't I effectively kill someone?!
"...Ugh!?"
Kaiji had never experienced something so close to an urban legend. Nausea rose in his throat, and he crouched down, clutching his stomach.
Seeing this, Akagi helped him up and sighed softly.
"It's normal to feel uneasy. But this is gambling, Kaiji-kun."
Akagi's tone remained calm, unchanged from beginning to end.
"Gambling, to me, isn't about winning or losing. It's just... in this winning and losing, someone will die a meaningless death. That is what I expect."
"That is touching the essence of gambling—meaningless death."
Akagi patted Kaiji's shoulder.
"If you can't accept that you might die meaninglessly... I think you shouldn't gamble."
...
The announcement of the upper deck's result caused a commotion on the lower deck as well.
Sadakuni's mercenaries, facing the prospect of their leader being hanged, frowned, considering their next move.
The bystander debtors were simply shocked, thinking similarly to Kaiji. They hadn't expected someone to actually gamble their life!
"Killing someone? Hanging?"
"That's illegal, right? Should we call the police?"
"Someone explain the gamble just now!"
...
The discussion grew louder and more chaotic, agitating everyone, even the mercenaries and men in black.
Just as the tension peaked, Tonegawa, standing in the crowd, gave a sharp "tch" that silenced the room.
"Idiots. If you gamble, you pay. Even if it's your life. If you can't afford to pay, don't gamble. If you don't want to die, just win!"
"..."
Tonegawa's words stunned the panicked debtors.
Regardless of what the debtors thought, Tonegawa breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at Sadakuni's mercenaries.
Those guys still had guns. If emotions flared and a shot was fired, the situation would be irreversible. Few would survive.
As long as things calmed down, a shootout wouldn't erupt immediately. There might be room to maneuver!
Now—
Tonegawa started worrying about the other side—the three "monsters."
Shiraki Kei and the other two.
Tonegawa had a feeling that if they started fighting for real, it would be more terrifying than a gunfight!
...
"Lost so cleanly. Boring."
Kyara rotated his arm, pushing Maruko aside, locking his gaze on Kei.
"Since the gamble is over, I don't need to play with this house cat anymore. Let's do something I'm interested in."
"...Nice. Awesome!"
Kei grinned, stepping forward slowly.
Both sides watched each other's every move. A fight was imminent.
But once again, a figure appeared between them.
Not Maruko this time, but Madarame Baku, panting heavily, having run all the way from the broadcast room.
Baku's stamina was worse than Kaji's. He was gasping for air, unable to speak for a long moment.
Kyara frowned, looking at his former partner with extreme displeasure. "A mere loser dog. I could snap your neck anytime. What are you doing here?"
"To... win! Of course!"
Baku held his breath, pointing at Kyara. "I will never lose. Not against the Kakerou Leader before, and not in the future... I will never lose!"
"Kyara-san, no need to rush tonight. Save your strength."
"I will show you what 'undefeated' means, what a gambler of legend looks like!"
Hearing this, Kyara's eyes shifted.
Baku's meaning was clear: he didn't want Kyara fighting Kei, and he wanted to recruit him—just like years ago.
Logically, there was no reason to agree to such absurdity. But Baku had a knack for saying exactly what piqued one's interest.
"Undefeated gambler"... Kyara really wanted to see how miserably Baku would die in the end!
...
Seeing Kyara stop, Baku let out a long breath and focused on the person behind him—Shiraki Kei.
How to persuade Kei?
Baku scratched his head, whispering, "Don't blame me for interrupting, Kei-kun. I advise you to save some energy. The excitement tonight isn't over."
Kei was intrigued. "How so?"
Baku's face darkened, and he gave a bitter smile. "The thing I was worried about hasn't happened yet. And since my luck is terrible, the thing I worry about will definitely happen!"
...
Upper deck, reception hall.
Kakerou staff had finished setting up the "hanging" apparatus.
Yako Hikoichi bowed slightly to Sadakuni, smiling like the Grim Reaper extending an invitation. "Master Sadakuni, if you please."
"..."
Sadakuni remained silent.
At the same time, his companion—the bald man—couldn't take it anymore. He roared, "We don't have to die for this boring gamble!"
"You're all trash! I'll show you!"
The bald man rushed to the observation deck on the other side, throwing open the doors to reveal the deck and the sea.
On the pitch-black water sat a medium-sized cargo ship—the arms smuggling vessel Fusu had seen.
The bald man pulled out a remote control.
"If I press this button, the missiles on that ship will launch! Even if we can't hit the city, you'll all die with us!"
"If you don't want to die, get off this ship!"
...
The bald man's face was twisted in desperation.
But in the next second—an elegant, gentlemanly figure appeared silently outside the door. A high kick knocked the remote from the bald man's hand, followed by a heavy stomp that pinned the man's head to the floor.
BANG!
Behind the gentleman, another figure appeared, eyes darting around, taking everything in.
Before anyone could react, the second figure suddenly introduced himself, deliberately altering his voice to make a corny joke.
"We are... aliens... from... a distant planet..."
...
Lower deck.
Baku patted Kei on the shoulder, wearing an "I knew it" expression, grinding his teeth.
"See? The worst-case scenario. The aliens have invaded..."
Baku paused, then changed his tone. "That guy talking—he's the Leader of Kakerou."